Real Madrid and the Copa del Rey final have become synonymous. After last year’s break in Badalona, ??the white team will fight for the title again this year. Chus Mateo’s men mercilessly defeated an outmatched and much inferior Valencia in the Carpena to play the decisive match for the tenth time in the last eleven years.
Two triples from Brandon Davies had falsified a horrible staging by Valencia, dazed in attack, Mumbrú’s men too lost. A hurtful partial of 16-0 suddenly woke up the taronja against a Madrid that had very clear ideas and that demonstrated that it had arrived in Malaga to recover the scepter. Ojeleye was in charge of cutting the sangria, to which Musa had added flavor, and stretching the rubber. It was not the last time that Valencia would apply themselves in bursts. The first, in the final stretch of the first quarter, helped him get back into the game (23-17) although this was not the best solution against Real Madrid.
Sergio Rodríguez picked up Musa’s scoring baton to put Mumbrú’s team back in the rearview mirror. And, once again, the rubber reached its limit and retreated, a scenario that was repeated again and again until the break. A two plus one from Ojeleye was answered with two triples from Llull. But there was a play before heading towards the locker room that marked everything. At 42-39, López-Aróstegui stole the ball and when he was about to destroy the rim without opposition, it slipped and ran into the rim. From the more than feasible 42-41 it went to 48-39 in just a few seconds, with Musa and Hezonja as executors.
It was a very hard blow for a Valencia that was no longer fine but that with resilience and some moments of momentary inspiration had managed to stay alive against a rival like this all-powerful Madrid. But his performance after the break confirmed that this time the blow was not going to be recovered. An impressive third quarter by Madrid (32-16) ended the game long before the final horn. Two free throws from Poirier, who in the final it should be noted that he looks sharper than Tavares, created a scandalous 77-50 (minute 29), a true reflection of the white superiority on the hardwood.
The Valencian pride, we must not forget that it is a Euroleague team, helped them not leave Carpena so scalded. But for little else because the finalist, by unanimous decision, was Real Madrid.
Real Madrid: Campazzo (10), Musa (18), Deck (9), Yabusele (14), Tavares (7); Rudy Fernández (6), Hezonja (3), Sergio Rodríguez (8), Poirier (10) and Llull (11).
Valencia: Jones (9), Jovic (2), Puerto (0), Inglis (5), Davies (18); Harper (7), Claver (0), Pradilla (2), Anderson (12), López-Aróstegui (12), Ojeleye (9) and Pangos (0).
